Recent years have seen an expansion in use of wireless networks, such as WiFi and Wireless Local Area Networks (WLAN), beyond being used for connecting personal computers and peripheral devices to each other, to a local area network and/or the Internet. Today wireless networks are used to connect a large number of different types of devices, including phones, tablets and IoT (Internet of Things) systems and devices, such as wireless speakers and headphones, cars, wearables and medical devices, to an access point (AP). This expansion in use of wireless networks has been accompanied by a number of new technical challenges. Chief among these is the need for wireless networks using the latest technology communication standards or protocol to communicate with mobile wireless systems and devices, commonly referred to a stations (STA) using earlier technology and previous generations of communication protocol. These stations usually have lower maximum transmit power compared to the access point often resulting in asymmetric link, where the station can receive transmissions from the access point, but the stations transmissions cannot reach the access point, limiting the effective range of the wireless network.
Accordingly, there is a need for systems and methods for extending a range of access points and stations in wireless networks.